Civil Service Board sides with fired parish spokesman

The Lafourche Parish Civil Service Board sided with the parish’s former spokesman Logan Banks in a wrongful termination complaint against the parish administration.

Xerxes WilsonStaff Writer

The Lafourche Parish Civil Service Board sided with the parish’s former spokesman Logan Banks in a wrongful termination complaint against the parish administration. On Wednesday, the board unanimously ruled Bank’s firing in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Isaac was improperly handed by Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph, who declined comment after the meeting. Banks, who served as the parish’s spokesman for 11 months, claims he was made a scapegoat for political reasons following the government’s attempts to communicate the conditions in Kraemer and Bayou Boeuf following Issac. The ruling effectively reinstates Bank’s employment and could lead to him receiving back pay since he was fired. His annual salary was about $44,000, not including benefits. Banks declined to say whether he would seek to work for the parish again. His old position was filled late last year. He also declined to say if further legal action will be pursued, only noting he will be “discussing the next steps” with his lawyer. He also thanked the board for “doing the right thing.”The spokesman acts as a liaison for media and develops outreach efforts for the local government.The board discussed the decision in a closed executive session before agreeing Banks’ termination failed to meet the guidelines set forth in a civil service manual dictating the process for firing an employee. The board’s previous meeting included three hours of testimony tied to Banks’ complaint. Randolph characterized Banks as “aloof” during the storm and said he was fired as a culmination of poor job performance during his entire employment. She said his failure to accurately portray the conditions in Kraemer and Bayou Boeuf was the final action that led to his dismissal. The testimony featured several parish employees who said Banks was slow to produce news releases, and he failed to grasp some of the technical aspects of the job. His employment file includes no written review, though a review took place, Randolph said. But that evaluation was not properly processed because Randolph said Banks did not turn it in to the correct person. Banks denied shortcomings in his job performance and said he was fired after embarrassing Gov. Bobby Jindal in the wake of Isaac. The night and early morning of Aug. 30 saw Isaac dump massive amounts of rain into the watershed that drains areas, including north Lafourche. Water pressed against the levees protecting Kraemer and Bayou Boeuf.There were plans to evacuate those communities, but that didn’t happen. Instead a small army of residents, parish workers, jail trusties and officers worked through the night into the morning fortifying the levees.Though their efforts were successful, there was some overtopping of the levees in places. Phone calls from residents to New Orleans media and a news release from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s office the following day sent rumors flying. Banks said he was ordered by Randolph’s husband, George, to quell those rumors.The Daily Comet and The Courier quoted Banks as saying there was no evacuation and the situation was under control.Randolph said Banks’ statement was not approved, and it incorrectly downplayed the situation — warranting his termination.Because the story contradicted reports of an evacuation, but was truthful, Banks argued he was made the fall guy when Jindal’s office called inquiring about the discrepancy.Randolph admits to speaking with Jindal’s spokesman Kyle Plotkin but said Banks’ job failures led to his firing.At Randolph’s request, the Daily Comet and The Courier corrected the article to clarify the governor’s statements.